Yes, we’re the group that has placed life-sized cut-outs of a scary-looking dad around the state. You probably noticed him on the homepage, too. We’ve also been airing some radio ads that mention dog poop, and you might have noticed RIPTA buses with a picture of a certain men’s bathing suit flapping in the wind. We’re responsible for all of that.

Since you’ve made it to our website, you know by now that the goal of those ads is to get our fellow Rhode Islanders to start thinking about stormwater. And hopefully, we’re encouraging everyone to take just a few simple steps that can help ensure that polluted stormwater doesn’t damage our beloved water resources.

However, those ads are only a small part of our project. Behind the scenes, we are a team of professionals from the University of Rhode Island, working with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District, and a diverse advisory group, in order to develop materials that towns and cities across the state can use to meet federal requirements about stormwater.

We are funded by the RI Department of Transportation with a grant from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration to support compliance with state and federal stormwater requirements. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management provides oversight to ensure compliance with the RIDEM stormwater permit program. You might have heard about us through our official name: the Storm Water Phase II Public Outreach and Education Project.

If you’re interested in finding out more about RI Stormwater Solutions, please follow our project link on the left.